Refrigerating machine



Sept. 22, 1931. w. w. WILLIAMS 1,

REFRIGERATING MACHINE Filed Nov. 16, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. I4. W W] L LIAMS BY 0/ ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 22, 1931. w. w. WILLIAMS 1,324,699

' REFRIGERATING mcnma I Fiied Nov. l6, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. W M WILL/176 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 22, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE :WALTER W. WILLIAMS, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAMS OIL-O- MATIG HEATING CORPORATION, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS REFRIGERATING MACHINE Application filed November 16, 1927. Serial No. 233,553.

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerating machines of the compression type and more particularly to a machine of this character to be employed in a domestic r. refrigerating unit.

In the use of some of the refrigerating agents employed in this type of machine considerable trouble has arisen due to the fact that lubricating oils are soluble in these 19 agents. If the lubricating oilis permitted to travel through the system to the evaporator where the refrigerating agent returns to the vapor state or is boiled off under reduced pressure or partial vacuum, the oil carried over in solution accumulates in the bottom of the evaporator, as the outlet of the evaporator is usually located at the top,

and continued accumulation of oil soon reduces the size of the evaporator chamber. melt is an object ofthis invention to provide means preventing the lubricating oils being carried over in solution from the compression chamber with the compressed refrigerating agent to the evaporator.

While the preferred form of this invention is illustrated upon the accompanying sheets of drawings it is to be understood that minor detail changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof.

In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a compression type of domestic refrigerating machine for employment in a domestic refrigerating system.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary View partly in vertical longitudinal section taken through one compression chamber.

The machine illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a base Lsupported on legs 2 and supporting above one end a motor 3 connected by belt 4 to the driving wheel 5 of the compressor supported upon the other end of the base and comprising a crank case6 and com-v pression chambers 7 within a compression dome 8. The refrigeratmg agent is. drawn through a pipe 9 from the evaporator, not.

shown, into the compression'chamber' 7 and delivered therefrom into the dome 8 from which it passes through a pipelO to the con- 7 59 denser 11, illustrated in the form of a vertical coil of pipe arranged adjacent a fan 12 operated by the motor 3'. From the condenser, the liquefied refrigerant travels through a pipe 13 into a receiving tank 14 onthe' underside of the frame 1 and from thence it is conveyed by a pipe 15 to the ating in the opposite direction so that upon a downward stroke of the piston, the vaporized refrigerant passes into the compression chamber and upon the upward stroke of the piston, the refrigerating agent is compressed and then discharged through the top of the cylinder under compression, at the same time vaporized refrigerant is drawn into the crank case through port 16. The dome 8 surrounds the compression chamber and is mounted on the upper side of the crank.

casing. The top of the dome communicates with the pipe 10 leading to the condenser. As the compression pistons operate very rapidly and as considerable heat is generated, the machine must be well lubricated and it has been found that a certain amount of the lubrication finds its way into the compression cylinder. Most lubricants are dissolved in the refrigerating agents usually employed in machines of this type and the lubricant in solution will be carried over into the condenser and thence to the evaporator unless. some means is the solution.

It is well known that liquid having different boiling points maybe separated by a process known as fractional distillation. By discharging the compressed vapors drawn from the evaporator into the compression dome before passing to the condenser, the refrigerating agent boils ofi' leaving any oil which may have worked through '7 is provided with a similar valve 19 operprovided to extract it from I the compressor with the Vapor, while being compressed, in the dome on-account of the boiling point of the oil being higher than the boiling point of the refrigerant. The 5 heat generated by the compression within the cylinder and compression dome has .been found sufficient to raise and maintain the temperature of the compressed fluid above its boiling point but not sufficient to reach the boiling point of the lubricant during the normal operation of the machine. The lubricant therefore being reduced to the liquid state and heavier than the vapor within the dome drops to the bottom thereof. A drain 20 is provided in the crank case leading from the bottom of the dome into an oil trap. chamber 21 secured to the side of the crank casing. top of this chamber. The bottom of the chamber is provided with a discharge opening leading into 'the interior of the crank casing and is'provided with a float-operated valve 22 controlled by a float 23 within said chamber. The lubricant therefore will drain from the dome into this chamber until it .raises the float 23 and then the pressure within the dome will pass it into the crank case.

It is seen that this drain from the dome discharging into the oil trap chamber and the float operated valve opening into the crank casing provides means whereby any lubricant that passes over into the dome is transferred from the dome back to the crank case Where it is again utilized and at the same time eliminates the danger of the lubricant accumulating in sufficient quantities in the evaporator and endanger the operation of the machine.

What I claim is:

I. In a self contained closed domestic refrigerating system, a sealed compression unit including, a compression cylinder, a crank case communicating with one side thereof, means for inducing a gaseous refrigerating fluid into said cylinder, a com pression dome about .said cylinder, means for compressing said fluidin said cylinder and discharging the compressed fluid into said dome, means leading the compressed fluid from the dome t0 the system, and means for removing lubricant collecting in said dome and discharging said lubricant directly into said crank case including a sealed lubricant trap "chamber communicating with the interior of the dome and-having an automatic valve controlled by the level of the lubricant in the trap chamber in the discharge passage communicating with the crank case. v

2. In a self contained closed domestic refrlgerating system, a sealed compression unit including, a compression cylinder, a crank case communicating with one side thereof, means for inducing a gaseous refrigerating fluid into said cylinder, a com- The drain 20 enters the pression dome about said cylinder, means for compressing said fluid lIl'Sfild cyllnder and discharging the compressed fluid into' mined level.

3. The method of separating lubricants from gaseous refrigerants in compression refrigerating machines in self contained closed refrigerating systems having operating parts operating in an oil reservoir and including the delivery of the compressed refrigerant with the lubricant as accompanies the trap chamber rising above a predeterthe refrigerant to an enclosed space, which I consists in increasing the temperature thereof to distill off the refrigerant, and automatically returning the lubricant intermittently to the oil reservoir as predetermined amounts of the lubricant are separated out.

4. The method of separating lubricants from gaseous refrigerants in compression refrigerating machines in self contained closed refrigerating systems having operating parts running in a lubricant reservoir which consists in separating the lubricant which accompanies the compressed refrigerant, and intermittently returning the separated lubricant to the lubricant reservoir automatically by differential in pressure as predetermined amounts of the lubricant are separated out.

Signed at Bloomington, Illinois, this 10th day of November, A. D. 1927.

WALTER W. WILLIAMS. 

